Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1887-10-06
NUMBER 81.
washington's Nerve.

was conversing with gallant
member of the Army of Northern Vir-
ginia and member of the late Gen.
Robert L. Lees staff last week, and
Maj. Andre and Gen. Washington's
iron will aud immovable resolution
were the subjects of his remarks. The
family of the officer referred to and
that of Washington had been very in
innate in the past, and he had, there
fore, peculiarly good opportunities for
information. 81 cannot" said he,
fail to admire, and yet--if / might
dare to say so of so unapproachably
great and good a man-occasionally
to wonder at and possibly question
the wisdom of his iron resolution and
absolutely intlexible will when it was
once thoroughly made up on any sub
ject. His set mouth, firm chin, and
iron jaw by no means belied his char
acter. The man, so far as mortal man
could know or weigh his mind and
heart, was simply marble. History
reveals, In part AT least, the superhu-
man efforts that were made to secure
a mitigation of Maj. Andres sentence
by powerful friends on both sides; and
how the great general could withstand
the influences brought to bear upon
him by those of his own party pro-
voked much criticism at the time.
The same French general, Lafayette,
who sat on the court.martial which
sentenced Andre, had handed to Gen.
Washington a commission from King
Louis as acknowledgement in the
French army and vice-admiral of the
French fleet and afterward commanded
the Continental troops and raw Tir-
ginia levies in the campaign around
Richmond and along the Rappahan-
mock during the raid on Virginia by
the traitor Arnold. l wonder what
would have been thought in our day if
during the late war an accredited
agent of Louis Napoleon had brought
q commission in the French army and
navy to Jefferson Davis or Gen. Lee,
and if such an agent or foreign gener-
al had been given seat upon the con-
federate court-martlal trying French
spy! But then, times have greatly
changed, and an American at Vic
toria's jubilee could gaze with equan-
unity upon the costly marble tomb of
Andre in Westminster abbey, beneath
which England sought to hide the glib
bet at Tappan."
I'm private affairs" the major con-
tinued, "the same characteristics are
equally noticeable. You know it was
the fashion in those days for people
about to make a journey to pack up
their movable valuables, such us plate,
jewelry, etc, in the heavy numbering
travelling coaches of the day. Mar
shall, then owner of our present Mar
shall's Landing. on the Potomac below
Washington and the estate so named,
was about to make journey, and the
family coach was for some reason
packed over night A slave of Gen.
Washington's from his Mount Vernon
estate-a blacksmith, worth from ST.
200 to $1,000 at thes prices of those
days-broke into the packed-up yehi-
Gle and committed a heavy robbery.
The severest penalty, | believe, to
which the robber could be sentenced,
under the slave laws of Virginia, was
that the condemned man should re-
two 'licks' or blows from every slave
man, woman and child-upon the es-
tate to which he belonged. From the
number of human chattels then belong
ing to Mount Vernon the execution Of
such sentence meant certain and
cruel death, and yet Gen. Washington
unhesitatingly passed sentence. -
Washington Cor. ~ Y Tribune.